Grease dispensing apparatus



March 31, 1942; E, L FRANSON 2,277,824

GREASE DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 18, 1941 INVENTOR ELMER' F NSC/V BY I . ATTORNEY Patented 31, 1942' UNlTED STATES v PA ENT orrlcs Elmer I. Franson, Iakewood,'0hio, asslgnor to Cities Service Oil Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Pennsylvania I Application April 18, 1941-, Serial No. 389,100'

2'Claims. ((1221-14) This invention relates to viscous liquid dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for feeding grease to grease guns. The specific grease dispensingapparatus hereinafter described is particularly adapted for feeding grease directly under air pressure from a cartridge or can in which it was originally packed and shipped, to a gun such as described in Staples U. s. Patent No, 2,007,113.

The apparatus of the present invention was developed as an improvement over that which is disclosed in the copending application of John D. Morgan and Thomas Anderson, Serial No. 285,070, filed July. 18, 1939 for Grease dispensing apparatus. In apparatus of this type the full grease can is opened at each end and mounted uprightly on the base of a sectioned pressure chamber having a grease outlet nipple in its base and a removable lid. A follower piston isplaced I in the top of the can before it is filled with grease I while inverted; and when the can is inserted in the pressurechamber-it is placed so that the opening in the bottom of the can is immediately above and aligned with the outlet nipple of the chamber. By application of compressed air pressure to the pressure chamber after the lid has been set in place, the outlet opening in the bottom of the can is forced into close engagement with the chamber base and the outlet nipple, and the piston is forced downwardly toward that end of the can engaging the outlet'nipple. Usually the pressure chamber and grease gun, with connections, are mounted on a common movable carriage for convenience in shifting the equipment to different locations where greasing operations are to be carried out.

Heretofore the operating air pressure within.

the pressure chamber has been the means employed to hold the canin longitudinally aligned position within the chamber, with its bottomopening in engagement with the grease discharge ton, thereby preventing return of the. can to its proper seating position and increasing the dan-. ger of air leakage difficulties. It 'will be understood that'air thus leaking from the pressure chamber into the grease outlet nipple dilutes the grease and frequently develop air pockets which air-bind the grease pump to which the grease is being fed. Even when the can does not tip or shift away from its proper seat on the base of the pressure chamber, a certain amount of trouble is frequently experienced in operation of the apparatus simply by reason of dilution of the. grease with the small amount of air which is trapped beneath the can at the time of original insertion of the can into the pressure chamber.

Objects of'the present invention are, therefore, to provide an improved grease dispensing apparatus embodying features of design which' largely overcome the aforementioned operating defects.

Among the novel features of the present in-, vention 'may be mentioned an air-bleeding orifice in the base of the pressure chamber positioned to permit escape of air trapped beneath the can to thereby facilitate a more complete pressure sealing contact of the base of the can with the base of the chamber; and provision of a flexible centering and stabilizing connection between the l d of the pressure chamber and the, can by means of which to hold the can in upright position within the chamber independently of the maintenance of operating air pressure therein.

With the above and other objects and features I in view, the invention-consists in theimproved nipple. However, during periods when the apparatus is being shifted from one location to another, and when there is no air pressure within the chamber, the cam may be tilted away from Another result of having the can tilted out of its normal upright position is that small'amounts of grease may leak from the bottom opening 'of the can and from the outlet nipple onto the base of the pressure chamber immediately beneath the can when air pressure is applied to the pisgrease d spensing apparatus which is hereinafter accompanying claims.

In the following description reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure is a view in vertical section showing the princ pal elements of the apparatus in assembled relation-after application of air pressure preparatory to the dispensing of grease from a full can.

Referring to the drawing, the principal elements of the apparatus comprise a cylindrical sheet metal or cardboard can or cartridge grease container ID; a cylindrical two-sectioned pressure chamber l2 which is dimensioned to accommodate can It therein with'sumcient clearance for easy insertion and removal; a coupling including ring H bymeans of which a removable lid l6 and a stationarybase l8, which together make up the sectioned chamber l2, may be coupled together; a grease outlet nipple 20 leading out centrally from the base of chamber I2 to a grease gun (not shown); an inlet port 22 for introducing compressed air into chamber I2; annular gaskets 24 and 26 for sealing the chamber I2 against escape ofair therefrom; and a 01- lower piston 28 slidably mounted in can II) for the Purpose of displacing grease from the can through outlet nipple 20.

Can It! is normally constructed of light sheet metal with straight cylindrical sides joined to the ends (preferably recessed for stiffness) by outwardly rolled reinforcing ring joints 30. At each end of the can center apertures 32 are provided, andthese are constructed with flange walls to accommodate friction plug closures (not shown). In Fig. 1 the apparatus is shown with the base I8, the bell I6 and the coupling ring I4 and gaskets 24 and 26 in" the positions which they assume after suficient air pressure has been built up in chamber I2 to seal the chamber against escape of air and to effect removal of grease from the can through the outlet nipple 20.

The base section I8 of the pressure chamber I2 is shown as a cylindrical dish-shaped vessel having in the center of its base an aperture 34 with which grease discharge nipple threadedly engages. The top rim of the base I8 is provided with an annular squared outwardly projecting flange 36 which is adapted to form a seat for an outwardly projecting flange 38 at the lower rim of the bell lid I6. An air supply pipe 39, equipped with an air supply valve 40 and an air release valve 4|, threadably engages air inlet orifice 22 in base I8. The bottom of base I8 is preferably constructed of a heavy pressure resistant plate 42 in the top face of which an annular groove 43 is cut as a seat within which to mount gasket 25 as a seal for the base of the bottom rim of. can I0. Another annular groove 44 is cut in the top surface of base plate 42 in coaxial relation around the central aperture in the plate, and such groove 46 serves as the seat for an annular gasket 45 which encircles the bottom outlet opening of the can immediately surrounding side wall 41 for the grease discharge outlet 34. Gaskets 25 and 46 (preferably constructed of synthetic rubber or other flexible oil resistant material) function as centering seats respectively for the bottom rim and for the bottom aperture of can I0, and as seals against leakage of air and grease into the annular chamber 48 bounded by the bottom of the can, the top of plate 42 and the gaskets 25 and 55. To permit of escape of any air originally trapped in chamber 48 and of any air which may thereafter leak into the chamber, an air-bleed orifice 50 is ported out through base plate 52 into the chamber 48.

Flange 38 of bell I6 is fitted at its rim with an upwardly projecting annular locking ring 52. The bottom of flange 38 is designed to seat on the top of flange 36 of the base member, and the top of flange 38 and ring 52 cooperate with the bottom of flange 36 and with coupling ring I4 to form a safety lock coupling for the sections I6 and I8, preventing dismantling of the apparatus prior to the release of air pressure from chamber I2. Gasket 24 has been illustrated as an annular ring gasket of substantially Y-shaped no pressure within chamber I2, and when bell I6 is raised off its seat by application of com-. pressed airwithin chamber I2 (as illustrated) the gasket is forced into tight sealing relation with the bell and base to prevent escape of air past the joint.

Coupling ring I4 preferably consists of two semi-circular-ring sections which are permanently hinged together at one end and which may be rapidly brought together and pinned at the swinging ends by matching lugs 58, 59 and a locking pin 60. Each section of the coupling ring is shown as substantially C-shaped in crosssection, with that portion 6| of its concave inner surface which overhangs. the bottom edge of flange 34 squared to match the flange, and with the top section of its inner surface which overhangs ring 52 having a depressed rim 62 forming an annular groove 63 which is dimensioned and shaped to.match and lock with the top of ring 52 of flange 36 when the bell I6 is raised off its seat by air pressure applied to the chamber I2. With this construction, therefore, it is impossible to disconnect the coupling ring sections from the flanges 34 and 36 as long as there is suificient air pressure in chamber I2 to elevate the bell I6 off its seat on flange 34. The ring 52 has a slightly less height than the width of the space separating the bottom of flange 38 from the horizontal arm of gasket 24, with the bell in its raised coupled position. Consequently when there is no air pressure within chamber I2, ring I4 can be easily swung into or out of coupling position; and pin is not necessary to hold the ring in coupling position during periods of application of air pressure within'the chamber I2.

Can I0 is preferably filled with grease while in a position upside down with respect to that shown in the drawing, with the top friction plug closure in place and with the bottom plug removed, and with the piston 28 inside of the can so that when grease is introduced, the piston will lie in the bottom of the can in the grease filling position. After filling the can, the top cover is fitted thereto by the grease manufacturer preparatory to shipment. When the operator is ready to insert a filled can in the grease dispensing apparatus herein described, the procedure is to clamp gasket 26 over the bottom rim of the can; to remove the friction plugs from both end apertures 32; and to place the can in the air chamber I2 with the upper end of the can (in which the piston 28 is located) at the top of the chamber, and with the bottom rim of the can with its attached gasket 26 centrally seated in groove 43. With gasket 46 around the bottom aperture rim of the can properly seated in groove 44, the bottom central aperture of the can is aligned with grease discharged nipple 32, and gaskets 26 and 48 are disposed as seals which prevent leakage of air'and/or grease into chamber 48.

In order to hold the can in upright position within chamber I2 at all times, independently of application of air pressure to chamber I2, spring steel centering legs 64 have been shown as attached under the dome of the bell lid with their free ends 65 shaped to bear on the upwardly turned edge 66 of the top of the can around the central aperture 32 when the lid is lowered over the can onto its seat on base I8. Before lowering the bell I6 into place, and after seating the can, gasket 24 is inserted on fiange 34, after which the bell is lowered into place and the coupling ring I4 swung into position. All that is necessary then in order to dispense grease from the can is to build up air pressure within chamber I! to a pressure of say- 50-200' lbs. suflicient to deliver grease from the can to the associated grease gun. The compressed air within the chamber l2 applied equalized pressure to the piston and to the inside and outside vertical walls of the can, thus forcing the can downwardly in tight sealing relation against the gaskets 25 and 46 and pressing the piston downwardly against the load of grease within the can. -An unbalanced air pressure proportional to the relative areas of the follower piston with respect to can aperture 32 serves to force the grease out of the can through the outlet nipple 20. Air which is trapped within chamber 48 is readily bled therefrom through orifice 50, rather than into the grease outlet nipple 20, when the size of chamber 48 is reduced by distortion of the bottom end wall of the can toward the top surface of plate 42 under application of pressure to the grease inside the can.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new is:

1. A grease gun unloading apparatus comprising a vertically disposed air cylinder having a removable lid and a base with a centrally disposed grease outlet, said chamber being dimensioned to enclose an end-apertured cylindrical grease gun in upright position with its bottom aperture aligned with said grease outlet and having a wall inlet port for compressed air, and

means for preventing escape of air from said chamber through the said'grease outlet comprising a pair of annular gaskets respectively dimensioned for insertion in spaced relation on the chamber base beneath the outer rim of the can and encircling the rim of the grease outlet, together' with flexible means under the bottom of said lid and above the can top for holding the can against its seat and. preventing tipping thereof, and an air bleed aperture in the chamber vbase ported out in the chamber below the canbase and prevent tipping, two annular gaskets respectively dimensioned for insertion beneath the can on the base in spaced concentric relation around the grease discharge port, and an air bleed aperture in the dished base ported out in the chamber between the two gaskets.

ELMER I. FRANSON. 

